Pre-Professional Artist (Musician) - Canadian Musicians Co-operative

Pre-Professional Artist (Musician) AUDITIONS 2023 

The Pre-Professional Program (3P) is a full-time, paid opportunity for early-career musicians to move forward with their artist-entrepreneur business in preparation for the Emerging Artist Program and a career in music. We have roles for singer-songwriters, self-accompanied vocalists, and instrumentalists (including backline performers on bass, drums, keys, guitar, and horns). 3P Artists have a program coordinator, and enjoy daily supervision and support to successfully complete work activities. 

This is a seasonal contract position with full-time hours. Contracts for most roles are offered at the Ontario minimum wage. The Pre-Professional Program will be 8-10 weeks, commencing in late June until the beginning of Sept. Students are welcomed and encouraged to apply for this position as part of a program’s requirements for a co-op or work placement. If you are applying to the Emerging Artist Program, you only need to complete ONE (1) application under that job posting and indicate interest in the 3P program in the application questions.

This position follows a hybrid work structure where employees both work from home and onsite in-person, as needed, based on demands of specific tasks and opportunities. Working from the office/studio/cohort site is encouraged when working on tasks that require a high degree of collaboration. Training and Workshops may be online or in-person, as needed.

Due to federal funding requirements for this position, eligible applicants must:

• Be 15–30 years of age on their first day of work
• Be a Canadian citizen, have a permanent resident card, or be protected under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (there is no requirement to be a student)
• Be present in Canada while working
• Hold a valid Social Insurance Number, and be legally entitled to work in Canada in accordance with relevant provincial or territorial legislation and regulations

Over the course of the summer, Pre-Professional Program Artists participate in workshops and a variety of skill-building opportunities to improve their understanding of the music industry. 3P Artists spend approximately 50% of their paid time performing music and providing engaging and high-quality musical entertainment supporting community events and promoting tourism initiatives. Hours not spent performing will be occupied with workshops, training, and hands-on activities to build a foundational understanding of the Canadian Music Industry at large.

Please note: The 2023 Summer Pre-Professional Program will be a blended model of in-person and online activities, subject to local health regulations and guidelines. As such, participants should be prepared to record and perform online as needed - either at home or another location arranged by the artist - with quality acceptable for online video-hosting or streaming.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Perform music and provide engaging, family-friendly entertainment at summer events such as festivals, community celebrations, tourism initiatives, and agricultural fairs taking place in public and quasi-public spaces within municipalities partnered with the Co-op.
• Participate in career-related skill-development programs, workshops, rehearsals and training programs to develop the highest calibre of professional skills and attitudes that will transcend the summer job period.
• Learning, rehearsing & memorizing new repertoire, utilizing live performance techniques (either in-person or via online livestream) learned in the training program.
• Providing artist name for overlays on screen during all online livestream performances.
• Safely setting up/taking down personal performance equipment, delivering family-friendly performances suitable for public spaces (either online or in-person) at an appropriate volume for the location/traffic.
• Creating a portfolio with their electronic press kit (EPK) and other assets, linked to the artist’s website for the purposes of personal skills and entrepreneurial growth.
• Complete administrative tasks on time and with accuracy, as assigned.
• Attend functions such as job fairs, networking events, schools, and other approved locations to promote the Co-op, the Summer Emerging Artist/3P program objectives.
• Providing support for company programs (Food Rescue, Wellness, etc).
• Respond to inquiries and interactions via electronic means (i.e., email, Slack, etc.) in a timely and professional manner.
• Maintain professional workplace behaviour and confidentiality when dealing with workplace challenges.
• Clocking in and out and providing daily shift reports using Employee Self Service in the human resources information system, Payworks.
• Effectively using assigned PPE and following Health and Safety protocols.
• Wearing a clean co-op program shirt and employee ID during all in-person performances.
• Complete SOCAN Notification of Live Music Performance and other reports as needed.
• Contact the supervisor if assistance is required.
• Complete other tasks as assigned.

Typical 3P Work Hours

3Ps will participate in a shift sign up process at the beginning of the summer to provide the most flexibility in arranging schedules that suit their other performance commitment needs.

• Tuesday to Friday for training, workshops and mentorship
• Scheduled CEP performances on evenings and weekends
• Monday: Full “Dark Day” Off

3P Artist Eligibility:

• Have their own portable solo performance setup for in-person (CEP) performance opportunity (battery-powered amplification implements optional, but strongly recommended)
• Have minimum of 15 - 30 minutes of material suitable for performance in public spaces, and be prepared to engage and entertain the public
• Be prepared to perform for up to 2 hours in length in-person
• Be willing to engage in online performances of up to 15 minutes

Selected candidates will attend an online callback audition and formal job interview. Bands or ensemble members must apply and audition*** individually, as each person’s contract is based on the employment of the individual. Once hired, Pre-Professional Artists are encouraged to work together.

***If you are a member of a band or ensemble, materials for that band or ensemble may be submitted for your individual application, as long as you have heavily participated in the creation of those materials, and we can clearly assess your artistic contributions and presentation. Please indicate which person you are in the video, and what your contributions are.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

As part of this application, applicants must provide the following items for applications to be considered. NOTE: N/A is an acceptable answer where explicitly specified.

The application provides questions where you will provide each of these items.

• Short summary of your career-related goals for the end of the summer, and one year from now.
• 2-3 minute audition video of a live, unedited performance (original songs preferred.
• Video must be unedited (i.e., no vocal tuning, audio processing, or video editing of any kind).
• Links to public performances are permitted as long as they follow these guidelines.
• We will review a maximum of three minutes of content. You can provide a link that starts at a specified timestamp of your choice.
• Video may be uploaded as “unlisted” on YouTube if preferred. Please ensure that your video link is NOT private, as the audition jurors will not be able to view it and your application will not be considered.
• Attendance at a local Round One Audition may be substituted for the online video.

If you have any additional documentation (i.e., strategic plans, release/promotional materials) that you would like to submit as supplementary information, please do so in the box labelled “Additional Documentation.” Please utilize a Google Drive, Dropbox or equivalent software to share these files, and ensure that the audition jurors will be able to open the files.

Applications are only accepted via our branded “GetHired” portal. All pre-screening questions must be completed. If you have found this job posting on a website other than GetHired, visit https://CanadianMusicians.coop and click on the “Summer Employment Opportunities” button in the top right corner of the page to access the full list of open positions and the application portal.

RETURNING STAFF

3P Artists employed in this role in any prior seasons are required to add a cover letter detailing:

• Their growth since their last season,
• Why they would like to return, and
• What they hope to get out of the program if selected for 2023.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The Co-op also offers the Emerging Artist Program, which is an employment program similar to the 3P program, with more independent work expectations and outcomes.

If you would like to be considered for both the Emerging Artist and Pre-Professional Program, please only submit the EA application, and indicate that you would like to be considered for both in the pre-screening questionnaire.

To have your application successfully advance to screening, please ensure you complete all pre-interview questions.

Following our initial screening, applicants may be invited to attend a virtual callback audition that will include a live audition in front of a jury, a short media interview, and a formal job interview. Interviews take place in March/April onwards until positions are filled. The number of positions available to be filled depends on funding received for this employment program.

Canadian Musicians Co-operative welcomes and encourages applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process. Please email jobs@canadianmusicians.coop if you have any questions or require accommodations to apply, or for your interview.

The Co-op is committed to the health, safety, and well-being of our members. The Co-op has implemented a COVID-19 Vaccination Policy strongly encouraging vaccinations for all employees who can be vaccinated against COVID-19 (respectful of Ontario Human Rights Code considerations). The Policy requires mandatory disclosure of vaccination status and full compliance with the policy requirements. All new employees (and re-hires) are subject to the COVID-19 Policy and the COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement Policy as a condition of employment and disclosure of vaccination status is required prior to commencing employment.

Co-op membership is not required to participate in the competition for this position, and no preference is given to existing members in our ranking process. Please note that you do not need to be a member of The Cooperative to apply. If you choose to accept a position with The Cooperative, you will be expected to join as a professional member upon acceptance of employment. Cooperatives are autonomous, self-help organizations controlled by their members.

Applicants not selected in this role are welcome to join the Co-op, as membership in a cooperative is open to all people who can reasonably use its services and stand willing to accept the responsibilities of membership. Professional Creator members enjoy access to the same live or digital resources, support and community as those in our Emerging Artist programs.

We thank you for your interest in Canadian Musicians Co-operative and submitting your application. Only those candidates selected for further consideration will be contacted.

Please visit our careers page to see more job opportunities.